Football
Benjamin Mendy’s trial for eight counts of rape, one count of attempted rape and one count of sexual assault continued at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday; Mendy denies all 10 charges against him; Warning: This article contains descriptions of a distressing nature
Wednesday 24 August 2022 21:34, UK
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A woman who accused Premier League footballer Benjamin Mendy of rape was dancing with him hours after the alleged attack, a court has been told.
CCTV footage from inside a club on the day of the alleged rape, played to a jury at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday, showed the woman dancing against the Manchester City left-back.
Another clip, from the same night, showed the woman putting her hand on the 28-year-old’s neck as they appeared to exchange words on the dance floor.
Earlier that day, in July 2021, the court was told Mendy raped the woman during a gathering at his mansion – The Spinney in Mottram St Andrew, Cheshire.
In a police interview played to the court, she said he tried to “debate” her into having sex and, despite giving him “every excuse”, had to “give in”.
Eleanor Laws QC, representing Mendy, questioned the woman over the footage and suggested she was “physically comfortable” with him despite the alleged attack.
She responded: “I would not say that I was physically comfortable in his company, I had just not processed everything that had happened.
“I was very drunk and I was just doing what everyone else was doing – I was acting like nothing had happened.”
Ms Laws QC continued: “Nobody in that club would suggest to you that you had to rub your bottom and dance towards someone you didn’t want to.”
“No”, the woman responded.
She later explained: “I was dancing with everyone, everyone was dancing with everyone.”
The court saw a further clip, which appeared to show the woman approaching Mendy and talking to him as he left the club.
Jurors were told she went back to the footballer’s home two days later after being invited by another man – though Mendy was not there.
Ms Laws QC said: “You would not want to go anywhere near there after what happened.”
The woman replied: “Not on my own, no.”
Mendy denies eight counts of rape, one count of attempted rape and one count of sexual assault against seven young women.
Co-accused, Louis Saha Matturie, 41, the footballer’s friend and fixer, is alleged to have had the job of finding young women for sex.
Matturie, of Eccles, Salford, denies eight counts of rape and four counts of sexual assault relating to eight young women.
Both men say any sex was consensual.
The trial continues.
© 2022 Sky UK
